Customer Reviews

Side Effects

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought that this book was not as good as Without Feathers or Getting Even. Certain points are funny, even hilarious. However, there are largely unfunny passages such as "Retribution". However, there are a few good vignettes, most notably "Confessions of a Burglar" and "Nefarious Times We Live In". If you've already read his other books, this still has some laughs; if not, I recommend his two previous selections.

Allen's style hasn't been duplicated in thirty years. How could anyone attempt to copy him--his creativity has its own realm. Side Effects is a must for any home library. I've read it over and over, and every time I pick it up, I laugh just as hard as the time before. Just like good music, true comedy doesn't get worn out by repetitiveness. This book and SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld are my two favorite humor books. And I'm still waiting for a Steven Wright compilation, by the way.

Side Effects is a collection of short humorous essays written by Woody Allen 30 years ago. It is his third book and still very funny. Much of the humor is based in New York and Jewish cultural idioms with a sprinkling of mock intelligentsia - all with the neurotic, self-absorbed insecure point of view that he made famous.

The first piece, "Remembering Needleman," is a satirical take off on scholarly obituaries. Only Woody Allen would think of bringing marshmallows to a cremation and to donate the ashes to a university for research.

"The Condemned" takes a humorous look at Elie Weisel's Dawn where a man must decide whether to kill a truly evil person.

"By Destiny Denied" is 7 pages of notes for an 800 page novel that was never meant to be written.

"The UFO Menace" is Allen's take on the existence of UFOs.

"My Apology" puts Woody Allen in Socrates' place as he faces death by hemlock.

In "The Kugelmass Episode" the protagonist finds a magic way to cheat on his wife by going back in literature to have an affair with Emma Bovary.

In "My Speech to the Graduates" we find Allen's philosophy most succinctly spelled out: "We are a people who lack definite goals. We have never learned to love. We lack leaders and coherent programs. We have no spiritual center. We are adrift alone in the cosmos wreaking monstrous violence on one another out of frustration and pain. Fortunately, we have not lost our sense of proportion."

"The Diet" explores the insecurities often associated with working in corporate America. A person only identified as F. deals with his work problems by taking control of the only thing he can - his food intake.

"The Lunatic's Tale" is about a successful doctor who is driven crazy by his love for two different women. The ending is right out of a 1950's sci-fi movie.

"Reminiscences: Places and People" is composed of one-page memories of Brooklyn, New Orleans, Paris, Mexico, and a meeting with a famous author.

In "Nefarious Times We Live In" we are taken inside the mind of a person who attempts to assassinate a president.

"A Giant Step for Mankind" takes a humorous look at scientific research. How do scientists develop techniques like the Heimlich Maneuver for dinner table choking? See the actual research journals here.

"The Shallowest Man" reads like a Hasidic fable set in modern New York about death, love, and caring.

"The Query" is a short play in which Abraham Lincoln tells a joke that changes his life and saves the life of another man.

"Fabrizio's: Criticism and Response" treats the restaurant review as scholarly criticism, complete with reader responses.

"Retribution" reads a bit like the movie Annie Hall with ideal romance thwarted by human foible.

Woody Allen fans will love the book. Others will find some classic Allen humor that is still delightful to read, if neurosis, problematic human relationships, and death are things you like to read about.

This book is the third in a collection of short stories by Woody Allen that includes Getting Even and Without Feathers. As with the other books, I found the book entirely delightful as well as a very quick read. As in any collection of short stories, some are better than others, but there are at least three classics that make the purchase worthwhile regardless of how you feel about the others.

In this book Woody Allen keeps the one-liners coming at such a pace that I cannot believe anyone could be so witty. His writing is always filled with puns and intentional misdirection that keep the reader actively involved in the book. I found myself reading the stories straight though, and finished the book in two sittings, though each story is short enough to read on the fly when you have some extra time.

If you are a fan of Woody Allen, then this book is another in your obligation to get more Woody. If you don't like his movies, then you will likely not like this book, as his idiosyncratic mannerisms come across in the writing.

The book is HILARIOUS and if you are feeling low or disheartned just read this and your problems will seem half smaller by comparing them to the outrageously silly situations the characters from the book have to deal with. I suggest the book to be read in private to prevent embarrassment in public because you will burst into laughter after the first few sentences for sure.

I usually have a hard time finding the time to read books these days, but this one was well worth the time I put aside. The stories are hilarious and his form of writing is brilliant. This book contained some of the most entertaining stories I have ever read. You must buy this book!!

Even for people who do not like Woody Allen's movies, his satiric books must give a great laugh!

This man is so intelligent that he allows himself to un-taboo'ize just about everything. He makes fun of religion without being blasphemic, about stereotypes without being prejudicial, and so on.

This is the most sophisticated fun any American has ever come up with!

Woody Allen's comic collection of short stories,"Side Effects" is a beautiful journey through the absurd mind of a genius. Like his early movies, "Take the Money and Run", "Bananas", and "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were too Afraid to Ask", this book captures my favorite era of Woody's half century and still going creativity. As much as I love the total masterpiece, "Annie Hall," I have to admit I prefer the zanier, looser brilliant babbler who wrote for Sid Caesar and wasn't above humor for the subgenius among us.

Side Effects, by Woody Allen, was released in 1980. It is a very funny collection of Allen's work, much of which first appeared in the New Yorker and other publication. The books is pretty even, and rather funny. The high point here is The Kugelmass Episode which features a professor named Sidney Kugelmass who is, via a magician, tranpsorted into the novel Madame Bovary.

A very funy four star offering from Mr. Allen.

Discovered in the humor section at Borders, I couldn't resist one of my favorite director's/producer's/actor's books. Side Effects is a collection of Allen's short stories that read similar to skits that were too short or just not right to be put on the screen. They're humorous, beautiful, and intelligent in the usual Allen fashion. I will admit though that as far as short story mastery goes, Allen has nothing on Cheever or Carver but for any Allen fan they're a must read.